"These savages have no knowledge of kings or princes amongst them. In Europe it has been said that their government is republican; but those republics have nothing stable in their character: there are no positive laws nor fixed principles for their civil government, nor for the administration of justice. Every family believes itself absolutely free, and every Indian considers himself absolutely independent. Yet as the continual wars in which they are engaged with their neighbours, continually place their liberty in jeopardy, they have thence learned the necessity of forming a sort of society, and electing for themselves a chief whom they call cacique, that is captain or commander. They do not intend by making this choice to subject themselves to a master, but to select a father or protector, under whose guidance they desire to place themselves. To be elevated to this dignity it is necessary to have given striking examples of courage and valour. In the ratio of the fame of a cacique for brilliant exploits, his people increase in numbers, and some- · times one hundred and fifty families will be ranged under one captain.

"If we are to give credit to some of our ancient missionaries, there are amongst those caciques, magicians who know how to make their authority respectable by the practices which they employ to avenge themselves upon those who are discontented. Did they undertake to punish them openly by a regular mode of justice, their ranks would soon be thinned. Those impostors create the belief amongst the people that lions, tygers, and the most ferocious beasts are under their orders, to devour those who refuse obedience. They are the more easily believed as it happens, not rarely, that they whom the cacique has threatened, are seen to fall into wasting sickness which is rather the consequence of poison astutely administered than of fear which results from the threat.

"To arrive at the dignity of cacique, the aspirants have usually recourse to some magician, who, after having rubbed them with the grease of certain animals, brings them to see the spirit of darkness by which he says he is inspired, and after which he names the cacique to whom he enjoins always to preserve a profound veneration for the author of his promotion."

Thus the very mode of instituting a cacique exhibits the existence of a form of religion.

Perhaps it might not be amiss to state here a cause which contributed greatly to establishing in Europe exaggerated notions of the neglect of religious rites in South-America. Some of the refuse of society in the old world were amongst the earliest adventurers upon the newly discovered shores of the south, Avarice, cruelty and deceit were prominent in their character, and the two last were made subservient to the first. A great object of the missionaries was the civilization of the aboriginal barbarians and the preservation of their rights as free men: to aid them in this holy work, they besought the protection of the courts of Europe: but were opposed by the friends of those adventurers VOL. II. NO. 4.

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who frequently were the most powerful and influential families in the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal. Amongst other statements which they were instructed to make was one to which they were prompted as the most likely to exclude the missionaries from all intercourse with the Indians. They averred that the savages were not human beings, but a subordinate species between men and brutes, and only fit to labour under the direction of men; that slavery was the state for which they were evidently designed by the Creator, and that they were incapable of receiving or benefiting by the Christian faith; for that they not only had no religion of their own, but were incapable of religion.— To combat such a statement as this, emanating from so powerful a source, and maintained with astute and practised ingenuity by experienced and well-paid advocates, was not so easy a task as we may now imagine; for then America was a world in itself with which Europe was only beginning an imperfect intercourse, and we need not be astonished that the decision of the question was seriously referred to Rome. The flippant writers who sneer at the ignorance of those that solemnly undertook to examine the question would, perhaps, had they lived at that period, have maintained the interests of the freebooters by whom it was raised :—and though Rome decided upon the petition of Juan De Garcez, Bishop of Hazcala and others. Indos ipos utpote veros homines, non solum Christianæ fidei capaces decernimus et declaramus, &c. and that they ought to be instructed and admitted to the sacraments; still their ignorance and irreligion and stupidity were published and magnified in Europe. An interesting reference to this circumstance may be found in the extract from the memorial delivered to the Prince of Asturias, to which we before referred.

We now proceed to give a more accurate and detailed account of the religion of the great body of the South-American Indians. The extract which we give is taken from the second letter containing an abstract of the memoir in the Spanish language, drawn up by Father John Patrick Fernandez, and presented to the Prince of Asturias by Father Joseph Herran, procurator of the Jesuits for the Province of Paraguay. After enumerating upwards of eighty tribes, he proceeds:—

"As regards the religion of those tribes, and the ceremonies which they observe, there is not in the entire of the West Indies,* a more superstitious people. Nevertheless, through the gross and ridiculous fables, and

This name was then given by the Spaniards to the entire of the continent and islands at this side of the Atlantic.

the monstrous doctrines which place them in subjection to the devil, one cannot avoid discovering some traces of the true faith, which, according to the common opinion, had been preached to them by St. Thomas or his disciples,* it even would appear that they had some confused idea of the coming of Jesus Christ incarnate for the redemption of men.

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They have a tradition, that in past ages, a very beautiful lady cons ceived a very fine infant, without any intercourse with man, that this infant being arrived at a certain age, wrought great prodigies, which filled the whole world with admiration; that he healed the sick, raised up the dead, made the lame to walk, gave sight to the blind, and wrought a number of other marvellous works which are far above human power; that one day having assembled a great multitude of people, he raised himself in the air and transformed himself into that sun which we now see. 'His body' say the mapono or priests of idols 'is all luminous, and if the distance between him and us was not so great we could distinguish the features of his countenance.'

"It would appear very natural that so great a personage should be the object of their worship; yet they adore only devils, and they say that they sometimes appear to them in horrible forms. They recognize a trinity of principal Gods, which they distinguish from the other deities who have much less authority; to-wit, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. They call the Father Omequeturiqui, or Urago-Zorizo; the name of the Son is Urusana; and the Spirit is called Urupo. The Virgin whom they call Quipoci is the mother of the God Urusana, and the wife of Urago-Zorizo. The Father speaks distinctly with a loud voice; the Son speaks through his nose; and the Spirit like thunder. The Father is the God of justice and punishes the wicked; the Son, the Spirit and the Goddess discharge the functions of mediators and intercede for the guilty.

"A large hall of the house of the cacique serves as the temple of the Gods. One part of this hall is enclosed by a great curtain; this is the sanctuary in which those three divinities who have the common appellation to each of Tinimaacas, come to receive the homage of the people and to publish their oracles. No one but the principal mapono can enter this sanctuary, for in every village there are two or three other subalterns, who are forbidden under pain of death to approach it.

"It is generally at the time of their public assemblies that those Gods come to their sanctuary. A great noise which rings through the house announces their arrival; the people who now pass their time in drinking and dancing interrupt their gratifications, and shout vehemently to shew their joy, and to honour the presence of their Deities. Tata equicep say they, that is Father are you arrived?' They hear a voice which answers Panitoques, that is 'be of good cheer, my children;' as if to say,

* St. Thomas was said to have preached to the people of India, where he was put to death; but India was not certainly this India, and we doubt very much that the Apostle or any of his disciples crossed the Pacific; so that if the good father meant to say that it was the common opinion that the preaching was in this India, it is to us quite an amusing novelty which we do not recognize as a common opin ion. We would not however quarrel with him for meaning that their remote ancestors had heard the Apostle or his disciples in the other India, i. e. East India.

'continue to drink well, to eat well, to enjoy yourselves well, you cannot give me greater pleasure; I am very careful of you: it is I who procure for you all the benefits you derive from hunting and from fishing; and from me you derive all the good which you possess.'

"After this answer which the people hear with great respect in silence they return to their dances, and the chica which is their drink; and their heads being soon warmed by their excessive potations, the festival ends by quarrels, wounds, and often by the death of several.

"The Gods are thirsty in their turn, and want drink. Vases ornamented with flowers are prepared, and the man and woman most respected in the village are selected to present their drink: the mapono, lifts a corner of the curtain, and receives the beverage for the purpose of carrying it to the Gods, for he only is their confidant, and he alone has a right to entertain them: neither are the offerings of game and fish forgotten.

"When those persons are at the height of their intoxication and quarrels, the mapono comes forth from the sanctuary and commanding silence, announces that he has laid their necessities before the Gods; that he has received very favourable answers, that they have promised to the people all sorts of prosperity, rain as it might be wanted, a good harvest, abundant game and fish, every thing which they can desire. One day an Indian less credulous than his fellows, said in a good humoured way, that the Gods had taken a good drink, and were put into a good temper by the chica: the mapouo who heard this ebullition of jest, immediately changed his magnificent promises, and threatened the people with tempests, thunders, famine and death.

"Sometimes the mapono reports very cruel answers from his Gods. He orders a whole village to take up arms, and casting itself upon a neighbouring people to pillage all that can be brought away, and to destroy the rest in fire and blood. He is always obeyed. This perpetuates eninity and uninterrupted war amongst these tribes, which lead to their mutual destruction. Such is the recompense of their servitude to the infernal spirit who loves discord and strife, and whose sole aim is the eternal ruin of his adorers.

"Besides these principal Gods, they adore others of an inferior order whom they style isituus: 'Lords of the water:' their employment is to pass through the rivers and lakes, and to stock them with fish for their devotees: the people invocate them in the fishing season, and incense them with the smoke of tobacco: if the game or the fish be abundant, they go to the temples of these deities to make the offering of a portion as a testimony of their gratitude.

When

"These idolaters believe that the souls are immortal (they call them oquipau) and that at their separation from the body they are carried by their priests to heaven, where they are to have everlasting joy. any person dies the obsequies are celebrated with more or less solemnity, according to the rank of the deceased. The mapono, to whom they believe the soul is entrusted, receives the offerings which the mother and the wife of the departed bring to him; he pours about water to purify the soul from its stains, consoles this mother and wife, and encourages their hopes that he will speedily have good news to bring them, of the

happy lot of the soul of the deceased, which he now goes to conduct to heaven.

“After some time, when he has returned from his journey, he sends for the mother and wife; and assuming a cheerful air, he orders the wife to wipe away her tears and to lay aside her mourning, because her husband is happy in heaven, where he waits to share his felicity with her.

"This journey of the Mepono with the soul is very troublesome. He must traverse thick forests, rugged mountains, plunge into valleys filled with rivers, lakes and soft marshes, until after many labours and great fatigue he arrives at a large river, over which a wooden bridge, guarded day and night by a God named Tatusiso, who presides over the passages of souls, and puts the mapono in the way to heaven.

"This God has a pale visage, a bald head, and a countenance which inspires horror; his body is full of ulcers, and his clothing is only wretched rags. He does not go to the temple to receive the homage of his devotees, the nature of his occupation does not afford him leisure, for he is continually employed in passing souls. Sometimes this God seizes upon the soul on its journey, especially if it be that of a young man, for the purpose of purifying it. If the soul be not very docile, and offers resistance, he grows angry, and taking it up, hurls it into the river to be drowned. This they say is the source of so many mishaps which take place in the world.

"Continual rains had ruined the harvest in the land of the Jururaros. The people who were inconsolable, applied to the manopo to inquire of the Gods the cause of their great calamity. The mapono after having taken sufficient time to consult the deities, reported their answer, which was, that in carrying to heaven the soul of a young man of their village, who refused to be purified, the soul treated T'atusiso so disrespectfully that he was flung into the river. At this news, the young man's father, who had great affection for his child, and believed him already in heaven, was inconsolable; but in this extremity the mepono was at no loss. He told the parent that if he prepared a proper canoe for him, he would go in quest of his child's soul to the very bottom of the river. The canoe was soon provided, and the mapono took it away upon his shoulders. Soon afterwards the rain ceased, and the weather became settled. He came with good tidings to the old man, but the canoe never made its appearance. Their paradise after all is but a poor one; and the pleasures which exist there will be only a wretched mode of satisfying the most moderate reasonable being. They say that it contains a forest of huge trees, which distil a gum, upon which the souls subsist, and that there are apes there which you would take for Ethiopians; there is honey and a small quantity of fish. You see a great eagle flying about in every direction, and the fables which they relate of him are so ridiculous and pitiable, that one cannot help deploring the blindness of these poor people."

These volumes contain extremely interesting geographical, statistical, botanical and historical information, besides, the singular recital of the astonishing labours, the persevering exertions, the untiring zeal, and incalculable sacrifices made by the